Shibata Kanjuro XXI, Sensei, whose birth name is Nobuhiro, was born on April 30, 1952 in Kyoto. At age fifteen, he began practicing with Kyudo at Shibata Kanjuro XX, his future tutor, adoptive and father-in-law. He attended Doshisha University in Kyoto and worked for four years in his father's engineering workshop. In 1978, he married Shibata Hiromi, daughter of Shibata Kanjuro XX, and was adopted by the Shibata family. For fifteen years he learned archery from his adoptive father and became his assistant. In 1993, Shibata Kanjuro became the 21st generation's family head and imperial bowmaker. Since December 2011, he is also the head of the Chikurin ha.

He lives and works in Kyoto.